The Anticipation of His Birth
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The Anticipation of Jesus Birth
Luke 1:26–38
We are entering into the final countdown to Christmas day.
It is a wonderful time of year, one in which we reflect on the birth of our Lord, the Savior of the world.
Sadly for many in our day, it is simply a season that is consumed with gifts, gatherings, and busyness.
Most never stop to consider the eternal significance that took place on that faithful day that our blessed Lord entered the world through the womb of a virgin.
Many find it hard to believe that God would in fact come in the form of a man to die upon a cross for the sins of the world.
I’m glad that it is much more than a story to me.
I believe it all as truth.
I rejoice for the day that the angels proclaimed that a Child had been born in Bethlehem of Judea.
Had there been no birth in Bethlehem there could have been no death outside Jerusalem.
These are simple truths that we have all read and heard before, but I am convinced that we need to be reminded again and again of the wonder and majesty of our Savior’s birth.
I want to take a few moments tonight to examine the details of this divine encounter as we consider:
The Anticipation of Jesus’ Birth.
So, in our text Mary is given the news that very soon she would be with child and that child would be the Savior of the World.
Could you imagine the anticipation leading up to the day she gives birth?
Lets look at a few items that would assist Her in the anticipation
I. The Particulars of the Announcement
I. The Particulars of the Announcement
(26–27)
—We are all familiar with news-paper announcements concerning the birth of a child: the newborn and parents’ names, date, place, etc.
Here in Luke we find the birth pre-announcement of our Lord.
These verses reveal the particulars of a soon to be birth and with the announcement Mary anticipates His arrival.
First we see that there was an
A. An Appointed Time
A. An Appointed Time
(26)—And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
God had determined that the appointed time for the birth of His only begotten Son had arrived.
This was no ordinary occasion and it was no ordinary birth that would occour
Theologians estimate that the world had existed some 4 - 6,000 years prior to the birth of our Lord.
There had been literally millions of male children born since the dawn of creation, but none like Jesus.
As the calendar of God reached the moment that was appointed before the foundation of the world, news came from God’s messenger, Gabriel, that a Son would be born.
It is hard for me to grasp that the One who has no beginning and no end would come to earth, breaching the womb, as each of us did.
In eternity past, God set the date for His arrival and that time had come.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
The time had come, but it had been anticipated since Adam walked in the garden.
Gen. 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The Redeemer would come as the seed of a woman.
Isaiah prophesied of His birth some 700 years before His coming.
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.
Thousands of years of hope were about to be fulfilled in the birth of Christ.
B. An Appointed Place
B. An Appointed Place
(26)—the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
God had not only appointed the time, but He had also appointed the place for the announcement of the Savior.
Nothing was left to chance or mere circumstance.
God had carefully orchestrated every detail of Jesus’ birth even the announcement.
You might argue that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and you are right, He was.
The Bible prophesied that Bethlehem would be His birthplace.
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
So, what is significant about Nazareth?
Well the Bible also reveals prophesy of Jesus being a Nazarene.
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
All of this may seem of little significance, but the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was no small undertaking in that day.
Nazareth was located some 70 miles north of Bethlehem.
Who but God could’ve orchestrated a birth that would fulfill both prophecies considering the means of travel and such a vast distance between the two cities?
We serve a sovereign Lord who has complete control!
C. An Appointed People
C. An Appointed People
(27)—To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Jesus was to be born as a man, but the selection of his mother and earthly father were also ordained of God.
On the surface they were ordinary people of humble means, but they met the criteria that God demanded for His Son.
Mary was espoused to Joseph who was of the house of David.
He was a direct descendant of David.
Joseph was of the tribe and lineage of Judah.
God had ordained that Jesus was to come through the line of David, the lineage of Judah.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come; And unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Joseph’s lineage, the husband of Jesus’ mother, is recorded in Mat. 1:1–16 and goes back to Abraham through Solomon, Vv.6–7, David’s son.
But you say that Joseph was just an adoptive father.
This is true, but he too needed to be of the lineage of David for Jesus to be accepted of the Jews.
Mary’s lineage is recorded in Lu. 3:23–38 and goes back to Adam through Nathan, V.31, David’s son.
It too refers to Joseph, but he is regarded as the son of Heli, V.23, apparently his father-in-law, rather than Jacob his birth father. Jesus came through the line of David!
II. The Perfection In The Announcement
II. The Perfection In The Announcement
—We have considered the particulars of the announcement if you will, now let’s consider the perfection that surrounded His birth announcement.
His was going to be no ordinary birth and these were certainly not ordinary circumstances.
A. It Involved Purity
A. It Involved Purity
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
—We find that the angel Gabriel appeared unto a virgin.
This is declared twice in V.27 alone.
She was highly favored of God.
He had looked upon the life and character of Mary and she found favor in His sight.
At the announcement of Gabriel, Mary questioned how this thing could possibly be since she had not known a man, v.34.
There can be no doubt that Jesus was born of a virgin.
The Bible is clear in regard to the purity of Mary.
This confirms to us that she was sexually and morally pure before the Lord.
Modern liberals argue that the word virgin is translated from an original word that simply means “maiden” or “young woman.”
This word does have that implication, but it also carries the idea of one who has never known a man sexually.
If Jesus was to come as God in the flesh, He would have to come through the womb of a virgin.
This was the only way that Jesus could be born in flesh without possessing the sinful nature that all men are born with.
B. It Involved Deity
B. It Involved Deity
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Mary was perplexed at the saying of Gabriel.
If she had never known a man, how then could she possibly be with child?
Gabriel reveals that the Holy Ghost shall come upon her and the power of the Highest would overshadow her.
Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost.
He was born of a virgin who conceived by the miraculous power of Almighty God.
This was the nature of His supernatural conception.
Why was all this necessary?
Jesus was to come to earth robed in flesh.
He was to be wholly God and wholly man.
He came through a virgin womb so He would possess sinless humanity
and He was conceived of the Holy Ghost so that He would possess unhindered deity.
C. It Involved Fidelity
C. It Involved Fidelity
(27, 38)—Luke 1 38
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Mary was found to be a virgin of purity prior to this miraculous conception, but she must also remain pure until the birth of our Lord.
She humbled herself to the will of God, risking shame, divorce, and even death.
Mary resolved to accept the will of God even if it meant her own demise.
Consider how Joseph must’ve felt when he received the news that the woman he was betrothed to was found with child.
He could’ve put her away or even called for her death, but Joseph also submitted to the will of God.
He accepted the truth of her conception and refrained himself from her until after the birth, Mat. 1:18–19, 24–25.
The commitment to purity of Mary and Joseph was carried out, ensuring that Jesus was conceived and born of a virgin.
This is hard for the world and modern critics to accept, but it is proven in the Word of God.
III. The Provisions In the Announcement
III. The Provisions In the Announcement
(31–33)
—We now come to what all of this means to us.
Gabriel reveals what this Child will do for all men.
Notice:
A. A Savior will be Born
A. A Savior will be Born
(31)—And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
His name reveals who He is.
He would be called Jesus, Jehovah is Salvation.
Jesus, the Greek rendering of Joshua was a common name in that day, but this was no common Child.
He was sent of God to redeem fallen man.
He came that He might provide the means of our salvation.
When Adam sinned in the Garden, all who came after him were born in sin and at enmity with God.
The holiness of God demanded that there be a sacrifice to provide atonement.
There had to be a perfect sacrifice if atonement was to endure.
Countless sacrifices had been made, but they could never fully atone.
Jesus came for our salvation.
B. A Son will be Born
B. A Son will be Born
(32a)—He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
Mary was to bear a Son, but He was a special Son.
He was the Son of the Highest.
He was the very Son of God, the only begotten of the Father.
The fullness of time had come and the Messiah was to be born.
The One that generations had longed to see was about to enter the world.
The plan and will of God was about to be confirmed and carried out in the birth of His Son.
The greatest moment of all time was about to take place in the birth of Jesus.
The One who created the world was about to humble Himself in the form of a man.
The Creator was about to become dependent upon His creation as a helpless child.
The hands of Mary, the hands that He had created in her mother’s womb, would soon caress His tender face.
Those tiny hands that would grasp her finger were the hands of creation.
The tiny babe that she would hold was the One who stood on nothing and spoke it all into being!
She was about to look into the eyes of God in the flesh, the Savior of the world.
C. A Sovereign will be Born
C. A Sovereign will be Born
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Jesus would be given a place of prominence here upon the earth.
He will reign upon the throne of David and over the house of Jacob forever.
The King of kings and Lord of lords was to be born in Bethlehem.
As Jesus will walk upon this earth, He will be despised and rejected of His own.
He will come unto His own and His own will receive Him not.
Jesus has not yet assumed His kingdom here on earth, but one day He will.
He came the first time as a humble babe, the sacrificial Lamb.
He will return the second time as the Mighty God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah to establish His kingdom in righteousness and judge sin and Satan.
Those of Mary’s day never accepted Him as the Sovereign Lord.
Most in our day continue to reject and dismiss Jesus.
One day the world will see Him as He is.
One day all will bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.